“Okay, sweetheart. We’re here.” Not that Kelley had any
doubt that her daughter Jenny, clad today in a flowered T-
shirt and matching red slacks, knew full well that they’d
arrived at the Gilpin Hospital KidClub daycare center. As
soon as they went through the door into the main playroom,
the blonde three-year-old had stopped prancing at her
mother’s side and stood still, thumb in her mouth. With
her other hand, she clutched Kelley’s mid-calf black
skirt. Tears filled her brown eyes.
Before the fire, Jenny hadn’t been able to wait to come
here to play. She had always dashed into the midst of the
kids who started their day in this charming room adorned
with bright rainbows on the walls. Mostly, the little ones
congregated at one of the child-sized tables coloring
until it was time for the caregivers to begin planned
activities.
But since the fire, her daughter had demonstrated every
symptom of separation anxiety: tears, protests, tantrums.
It broke Kelley’s heart every morning. But she’d spent
days home with Jenny right after the fire. Took her to a
kind counselor. When Jenny had started to recover
emotionally, Kelley had returned full time to her
demanding medical practice. Her office was in the
adjoining building, and she spent a lot of time seeing
patients in the hospital itself. She dropped in often to
look in on Jenny, staying far in the background so her
daughter, busy playing, wouldn’t notice her.
Once Jenny got used to being there each day, she seemed to
thrive once more, with all the other children to play with
and the excellent staff who watched over the kids while
teaching them things commensurate with their ages and
abilities.
But those first minutes, when she dropped Jenny off...
“Good morning.” At the gruff, masculine voice, Kelley
raised her gaze from her daughter--until she stared into
eyes the blue of a mountain stream sparkling in the winter
sun. They looked about as icy, too. But the man behind
them was one of the most gorgeous hunks Kelley had ever
seen.
She felt her face grow pink at the direction her thoughts
had veered. But that didn’t deter her mind from noting the
breadth of shoulders beneath an off-white shirt and
leather vest. Or the slim cut of faded brown jeans. Or the
sturdiness of a set jawline, and short hair that was a
cross between dirty gold and golden brown. And he wore
cowboy boots.
“Good morning,” she returned, knowing her tone was
quizzical. Was he the father of one of the half dozen kids
settled at places along the tables? Kelley forced herself
not to look at his hands to see if he wore a wedding ring.
That wasn’t her business.
Besides, a man who looked like him had to be taken.
Either that or he had a bevy of beautiful women at his
beck and call.
Not that Kelley cared. She wasn’t interested in any man,
great-looking or not. In her experience, not one was worth
a fraction of the aggravation he caused.
“And who is this?” The man looked down at Jenny, who only
clutched at Kelley’s clothes all the tighter.
The smile on the man’s face looked as if he had sucked on
a lime.
“This is Jenny Stanton,” Kelley said, her tone cheerful
for her daughter’s benefit. “Are you the daddy of one of
the kids?”
“No, I’m the new teacher.”
What? Kelley stared. He certainly didn’t look like the
other childcare providers, mostly college-age men and
women who studied teaching and needed to earn money in
their spare time. A few were career preschool teachers.
But this man...?
He knelt in front of Jenny. “My name is Shawn,” he told
her. Then he rose. “Shawn Jameson. And you’re Mrs.
Stanton?”
No. Kelley nearly shuddered. She definitely wasn’t Mrs.
Stanton. That implied she was Randall Stanton’s wife.
She hadn’t been his wife for two years now. And that was
fine with her.
It was her turn to force a smile onto her lips. “I’m Dr.
Kelley Stanton,” she told the man. “I’m one of the doctors
on staff here.”
Was it her imagination or did Shawn Jameson’s straight,
thick brows dip just a little before he resumed his
uncomfortable smile? “Very nice to meet you, Dr. Stanton.”
He stressed the word “doctor” but it did not sound like an
apology, which she wouldn’t have expected anyway. But
neither did she expect it to stop just short of an insult.
Didn’t he like doctors? If so, he shouldn’t be working in
a hospital, even with children. Especially with children,
since many were doctors’ kids. But maybe she’d imagined
his reaction.
“Good to meet you, too,” she clipped out, then knelt,
though she had to extract her skirt gently from Jenny’s
hand. “Okay, sweetheart. Time for me to go, but I’ll be
back for you soon.”
“No, Mommy,” Jenny said in her sweet little girl’s
voice. “I don’t want you to go.”
Kelley inhaled, knowing the scene that was to come.
Hating it, for she always felt as if she were hurting
Jenny. “I have to, honey, but--“
“But we’re going to have a great time here today, Jenny.”
Kelley looked up in gratitude as Shawn Jameson took
Jenny’s hand and tried to gently lead her away.
Jenny began to cry.
Shawn’s blue eyes widened. Surely that wasn’t fear Kelley
saw in them. He glanced at her as if for help, but she
mouthed, “Thanks,” and backed away. Jenny began to cry
even louder.
The other children watched the exchange, eyes huge. The
lower lips of a couple began to quiver, as if they might
cry in sympathy for Jenny. Or for their own absent parents.
Obviously Shawn noticed, for he looked around nervously.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing a pad of paper and some crayons
off the table. He appeared desperate. What was he going to
do? “Do you have any pets at home, Jenny?”
No, Kelley wanted to tell him. Don’t remind her. Jenny
wanted a puppy or a kitten. Having a pet was even a
recommended therapy to help her recover from the trauma of
the fire. But the timing wasn’t right.
If Kelley were a stay-at-home mom, the way Randall had
insisted, there would be someone to take care of a pet.
But that wasn’t reality. It wasn’t what Kelley wanted
either for herself or her daughter. She wanted Jenny to
have a strong role model.
Not the kind of role model Kelley herself had had.
“I don’t have no pets,” Jenny told Shawn, shaking her head
sadly. But at least she was no longer crying.
“Would you like one?”
It was time for Kelley to intervene. The man couldn’t be
allowed to distract her daughter by making
her feel bad about other things.
As Jenny nodded in response to his question, Shawn
said, “Well, then, you shall have one.”
That was it. Kelley began crossing the room toward them,
but Shawn Jameson must have noticed, for he held up one
large hand. Kelley paused, but only for a minute. If he
didn’t stop--
And then she got it. The man, kneeling on the floor beside
the pint-sized table, was using the crayons to sketch on
the pad. In moments, an outline of a fuzzy spaniel puppy
took shape, one with big, sad eyes and a lolling tongue.
And that with only a few strokes on the paper.
It was an adorable caricature.
“Here you are, Jenny,” Shawn said. “This is your new
puppy. And--“ He made a few more strokes on the page. A
child appeared beside the dog--a child with Jenny’s
straight, blonde hair and soulful chocolate brown eyes.
She wore a crown, like a princess.
“For me?” Jenny asked in obvious delight. Her tears had
dried, replaced by a big, amazed grin.
“For you,” Shawn replied. “But you’ll have to think of a
name for the dog.”
“Okay,” Jenny replied, her small brows knit as she gave
the matter a lot of thought.
Before she came up with a name, the other kids were
crowding around, looking at her drawing. Demanding, “Me,
too, Shawn. Please. Me next,” all in a chorus that earned
from Shawn Jameson a foolish, pleased grin.
Kelley turned toward the door. No matter what the man’s
qualifications, he had obvious talent in one direction.
And the kids loved it.
Maybe he would work out there after all.